Australia delays the closure of its largest coal-fired power plant

State Premier Chris Minns said the postponement would ensure reliable power and electricity “as we move the workforce and economy to net zero”.

The Australian Environment Foundation said Eraring is a dirty ‘carbon’ that emits almost three per cent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

“Summers in New South Wales are currently characterized by unprecedented floods, heatwaves and deadly wildfires, and this extreme weather is being made worse by the extension of the life of fossil fuels such as coal,” the foundation said in a statement.

About 70 per cent of the electricity supplied to New South Wales comes from four aging coal-fired power stations, all of which are due to be retired over the next 10 to 15 years.

Like many countries, Australia is trying to reconcile its long dependence on fossil fuels with bold renewable energy ambitions.

Earlier this month, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers portrayed the country – one of the world’s largest coal exporters – as an emerging “renewable energy superpower.”

sft/arb/cwl